By Anonymous
Almost perpetually ‘turbulent’ campus of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) once again looks to be heading towards imbroglio. This time, rather than a student upsurge, the teachers are coming out directly in open conflict with the administration that too through their elected Association. The much awaited, very first, ever since the newly elected office-bearers have assumed office, General Body Meeting (GBM) of AMU Teacherss Association(AMUTA), held on 30 September 2013, adopted some resolutions of confrontation with, and agitation against, the university administration.
Of the many issues, the foremost is non-holding of selection committees because of which almost one third of the teaching positions are lying vacant since long and their stagnation (without promotions). However the immediate provocation is recruitment of professors without selection committees. The VC, Lt. Gen. Shah (former Vice Chief of Indian Army) is alleged to be misusing his discretionary powers vested in him through the Section 19 (3) of the AMU Act. Thus far, three professors are reported to have been appointed in this way, and many more are expected to be brought, giving a short shrift to meritocracy, rules and norms. An elected member of the Executive Council (EC) complained, “the crucial decisions are taken without deliberations and consultations in the EC which has sadly been reduced to an ineffective body.
Aligarh Muslim University
The latest provocation: A professor has been foisted upon the Department of English just like having descended with a parachute. This professor of English literature is alleged to having rightist leanings and subscribing to radical Islamism. The professor has written books and tracts, and for some time, in the immediate aftermath of the demolition of Babri Masjid, when a fringe of Muslim youth was nursing acute grievance against the Indian state, he also edited a broadsheet periodical, Milli Times, in pursuit of right-wing Islamism of radical or not so radical variety, which ran for seven years from 1994, whereas in 1993 he started “Milli Parliament”, like the “Dharm Sansad” of the VHP. He has not published even a single academic research paper in English literature.
The first one to have been recruited as professor (of West Asian Studies) in this manner is a retired Major General of Indian Army, who doesn’t have teaching experience of even a single day, nor is he a scholar. While most of the eligible serving teachers are frustrated with stagnation waiting for their promotions through Selection Committees, the AMU-VC does not have time to convene selection committees. The ineligible ones are being recruited in such a reckless manner. The AMU Teachers’ Association is complaining that only the Board of Studies (BoS), a statutory institution of the University, consisting of the teachers of English literature can decide about the competence and scholarship of a candidate to be recruited in this fashion, by-passing a selection committee.
The AMUTA expressed its “strong resentment and deep concern” as this has been done: “in contravention to the Office Memo No.F.3-9/97-Desk (U) issued by the MHRD on 11th June, 2001, which stipulates that “Routine matters like creation of teaching and academic posts, appointment to the said posts, finalizing recruitment procedures, promotions under Merit Promotion Scheme/Career Advancement Scheme, up gradation of posts making them personal to the incumbents should invariably be placed before the authorities ordinarily empowered to take decisions in such cases. Emergency powers should not be exercised by the Vice Chancellors in such cases.” It also added that the posts against which these appointments have been made were already advertised and even some better candidates are applicants who have been denied their chance by this unwarranted act. The General Body demands withdrawal of such orders”.
Few months back there was selection committee to recruit teachers for the Medical College. It is alleged that two associate professors have been appointed in flagrant violations of the UGC’s eligibility criteria, which was also laid down in the advertisement which invited the application forms. Talk on the campus is that one of the beneficiaries is a relative of a former minister of UPA-1, and national spokesperson of the Congress. Similarly, a recommendation of the selection committee for professor in the Unani medicine remains withheld.
The AMUTA has also expressed its anguish against the administration’s attempt at tinkering with certain Sections of the AMU Act, which amounts to arrogating/usurping the legislative powers of the Parliament. The Section 12 (1) of the AMU Act restricts its expansion to a radius of 15 miles of the present campus in Aligarh. Tinkering with it, the incumbent administration is going to start schools in its Off-Campus Centres in West Bengal and Kerala. As a repartee they have asked the VC that if at all the AMU-VC has got sanction to go above Parliament and make amendments in the Act then, for its minority character, why does he bother for the Supreme Court, why doesn’t the VC do it himself sitting in the office at Aligarh?
Earlier, the VC invited criticism for having appointed a retired Group Captain of the Indian Air Force as the Registrar. A former President of the AMU Students’ Union shared with this correspondent that the closing date of the advertisement for recruiting Registrar was extended by the sitting ad hoc Registrar to extend a favour to himself. Afterwards, a selection committee was held, and the incumbent one was selected who immediately joined, whereas normally the AMU takes at least a month to issue the recommendations of a Selection Committee. The former student leader further shared that it is quite doubtful whether the Registrar really fulfills the minimum eligibility criteria (of Postgraduate with 55% of marks); he alleges that the postgraduate degree of the Registrar should be verified whether it has been obtained from a genuine, recognized university. Many serving and retired employees of AMU alleged that a coterie functions as de facto Registrar. This coterie consists of a teacher who, as a student of AMU, was penalized by the AMU with strict disciplinary action for his alleged involvement in serious criminal offences, a fact which he concealed in his employment application form and became teacher of AMU. A senior colleague (also a former Dean and former officiating VC) of this tainted teacher said that the AMU has prepared a thick dossier on this teacher’s misconduct, which is yet to be disposed off. It is alleged by the insiders that the Registrar has shown his utmost efficiency in convening selection committees for non-teaching positions, in which favouritism is said to have prevailed on sub-regional basis.
All the General’s men: Right to Left- AMU Vice Chancellor, Lt. Gen. Zamer Uddin Shah, new PVC, Brigadier S. Ahmad Ali and Registrar Gr. Cap. Shahrukh Shamshad. [file photo]
The AMUTA has listed multiple grievances, like disgusting restrictions on attending seminars, asking for 20% of the funds of research projects, and physical presence of the teachers in the Departments/Centres/Colleges even when they don’t have classes. But most important of these all is: “a large number of teaching positions are lying vacant in the different Departments for years. The University, instead of filling up of these posts through General Selection Committees”, refrains from convening these and the VC, a re-tired man remains on long, frequent outstation leaves. “Because of his pleasure holidaying, almost one third of the teaching positions are said to be lying vacant since long”, said a teachers’ representative. There are speculations that he is lobbying to become governor somewhere.
Moreover, it is an impression among a majority of the teachers that the VC seems to be alarmingly disinterested in looking into the file-notes with impartiality, and objectivity, and that he lacks academic vision and has got no commitment for meritocratic recruitments. They allege that as a diversionary tactics the VC whips up strange issues like coming out with an advisory of ‘conservative’ dress codes, which was surprising to come from a VC who is elder brother of actor Naseeruddin Shah.
However, another set of teachers seem to be more aggrieved with the Pro-Vice Chancellor, Brigadier (Retd.) Syed Ahmad Ali. Even the AMU Teachers’ Association also seems to be angrier with the PVC. It is alleged that the PVC has allowed himself to be surrounded by highly discredited teachers. The roads are under construction since long; there are potholes because of which everyday there are accidents. In one such accident the VC himself was injured in August. In utter violation of the government rules, there is no sign-board of “work in progress”, nor does it have any transparent declaration of the sanctioned amount for the project, the expected duration to complete the project, and other such details. In recent years there have been allegations against the high functionaries of extracting kick-backs in civil constructions. The VC Gen. Shah himself once made a press statement in Lucknow that there are rampant corruption in at least three departments of AMU, viz., the Building Department, the Computer Centre, and the Finance section.
Having talked to cross sections of AMU community in Aligarh and its alumni in Delhi it appears that while non-holding of Selection Committees to recruit teachers is the biggest cause of discontentment, the problem is also a factional fight between the self-serving coterie of the Registrar and that of the PVC. The two coteries also seem to be divided along sub-regional lines. A teacher on the condition of anonymity confided that “this growing conflict between the two warring factions of the teachers affiliated to the two functionaries may create highly worrisome situation, and that given a history of frequent student upsurges in AMU, these unscrupulous gangs of ruffians may engineer and sponsor a violent student upsurge in order to destabilize the administration and thereby re-creating their relevance, and indispensability for the AMU administration”.
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A Delhi based alumnus who wants to remain anonymous